Work Text:
“Thanks for your hard work!” His colleague called out, waving to him as he opened the door to the bakery. Xiao turned, lifting a hand up in return before he exited his workplace, a white carton box in hand. As usual, his boss had been nice enough to insist he take a few of the new, seasonal cake slices home for his family.
They had moved here before his mother had passed away from a car accident, and the townspeople had always been nice to his family even before. He was only eighteen when it happened, and his little sister had only turned one; he remembered feeling hollow throughout the rest of his year in school. His father had wanted him to go to university in the city faraway so he could have a better job in future, but Xiao had refused to leave his family behind in pursuit of education.
In the end, one of his mother’s friend’s daughter had extended a hand to help him — and that was how he ended up working at the bakery under Ms Ningguang. She was a delightful boss, though sometimes her love for money was too much for him to handle at times. Other than that, she was a great boss, plus the rest of his coworkers were nice to him as well and the environment was pleasant enough for him; to be able to work and have enough time to spend with his family… It was a luxury that Xiao was grateful for.
With a small smile forming on his lips at the thought of his little sister’s reaction to the cake (it was a combination of sweet berries and milk, the latter being her favourite for reasons unknown), the thought of it had him humming a song on the way back home happily.
―
The walk home, like always, was uneventful — the bakery was only twenty minutes away by foot, and the exercise was good. They lived in a small two-storey house with a stone fence surrounding it, and because the area was safe, his parents had never thought of installing gates for security reasons. After all, the townspeople were honest to a fault, and either one of them were always watching his little sister at all times. He shut the door behind him, leaving his shoes neatly by the small step at the foyer before he padded into the house towards the living room.
He doesn’t notice the silence until he’s fully in the living room, spotting his father by the large window, expression grim. Xiao frowned, leaving his bag on the couch and setting the carton of cakes inside the fridge before he heard his father shuffling through the room towards him.
“Yes, thank you. Mm. It’s possible she might have wandered off, please call me if you find her.” Zhongli muttered another thank you before he hung up, Xiao immediately straightening up at how serious he looked. There was slight panic in those gold irises, and chills went down his spine. “Xiao…”
“What’s wrong?” He asked, voice quivering as his mind raced with a million possibilities of the worst case scenarios. Qiqi? Did it involve his sister? What happened to her? Was she kidnapped? Did someone demand a high ransom? His father wasn’t working anymore, and he was the only one who could provide an income to his family, there was no way they could pay off a hefty ransom, he’d have to sell his organs on the black market or something to cough up the money—
“The kindergarten teacher called,” Zhongli continued, placing his hands on his son’s shoulders. He could see the panic dancing in Xiao’s golden eyes as well, and he had no idea how to comfort him, because he also was panicking on the inside. “He said that while he had to pick up a phone call to assist the police with the pickpocket he had seen last time, it seems that Qiqi had wandered away from the kindergarten. He’s currently looking for her now, and he asked his boyfriend to help look as well.”
Relief hit the dark-haired male like a truck. Okay. At least she wasn’t kidnapped. Immediately, he stared into his father’s eyes, determined.
“I’m going to go look for her too.”
“Of course you would,” Zhongli muttered, glancing away for a second; there was pain in his eyes and Xiao knew that he, too, wanted to go look for his daughter. However, there was a chance that she could wander back home, and of course, there had to be someone there to ensure her safety if she were to return. Who knew where she would go running off to if she came back to an empty house? After all, his sister was too easily distracted to a fault.
“I’ll stay here in case Qiqi comes home. Please take your phone with you, call me if you find her. Mr. Albedo said he’ll look near the kindergarten and the park, perhaps you could go through the shopping district and see if she’s there.”
“Got it.” With a nod, Xiao patted his father’s back in reassurance, fished his phone out of his bag and was out of the house within seconds. He saw his father standing in the entrance out of the corner of his eye, knowing the worry he had for both his children.
“Stay safe!”
The meaning of the words made him choke back the sudden surge of sadness; the same words that his father never had the chance to say to his mother before she left to go grocery shopping, and she was taken away from them so quickly that he still regretted to this very day he had never said those words. (Would it have been different if he had?) And so Zhongli had always made sure he told both his children those two words every time they left the house.
He swallowed the lump in his throat, focusing on the task at hand — he hadn’t seen Qiqi when he was walking home, so that meant that she was probably in the opposite direction. His phone chimed with a notification, and he looked at it. It was a message from the kindergarten teacher, Albedo, informing him that he and his boyfriend were combing through the area near the kindergarten, including the park they frequented on their walks and the other areas close by, just like his father had said.
That meant he had other places to look, and he headed towards the shopping district quickly like his father had suggested.
―
Lumine glanced out the window again, staring at the small child who had been outside the florist for the past six minutes. Normally, it was a regular occurrence, though most other children her age (she was guessing the girl was about five or six at most) would have gone into the shop and started bombarding her with questions about the flowers, and then some about her love life.
For example, Klee, who happened to be one of her favorite kids despite her curiosity. After all, her big brother was Albedo, who taught at the kindergarten in town, and who also happened to be her twin brother’s boyfriend. Thus, she was very familiar with Klee, but she wasn’t as experienced when it came to other children — like the ones who ask if she had a boyfriend, then laughed when she admitted she didn’t.
Normally, children wouldn’t stay still for so long, unless they were super focused on something — at least, in her opinion, that was the case. Admittedly there were quiet kids too, but most of the children Lumine had come across in this town had been quite the rambunctious bunch. Perhaps the child was too shy to ask her questions? Was she lost? Her mind raced for possibilities as to why the small child remained as still as a statue outside the shop. She hadn’t seen anybody resembling a guardian nearby either, so perhaps the child was indeed lost.
With a sigh, she placed her watering can down on the counter, walking over to the entrance and pushing the door open. Once she was outside, she moved closer to the small child, who had very pretty lavender hair tied into a long braid, and sparkling amethyst eyes. Lumine crouched down so she was eye-level with the quiet child, who finally turned her head in acknowledgement of the adult next to her.
“Hi,” Lumine started, giving the child a little wave. “My name is Lumine. Are you lost?”
The child remained quiet, which caused her concern to spike. A few moments passed quietly as she waited for an answer, watching the girl hesitate and glance between the flowers to her. Finally, the child looked her in the eyes and spoke.
“Qiqi is not lost.”
Ah, a name to the face. Lumine smiled, tucking her own blonde hair behind one ear. From experience, a child who claimed they weren’t lost without any noticeable guardians around… was always lost. However, she couldn’t point that out because she was sure the child would either run away from her, or throw a tantrum to the point that it looked like she had been bullying her.
Anyway, it really hadn’t been that long since Lumine had moved to this town at her brother’s behest, so she wasn’t familiar with a lot of faces yet. Perhaps the best thing was to ask her brother if he knew anyone who was missing a child.
“I see. Well, I work here, and I was thinking that you’ve been standing outside for a long time now.” She scratched her cheek, unsure how to continue without coming off as suspicious. “Um… do you want to come in and sit down? I’m sure you’re tired from standing for so long.”
Qiqi seemed to ponder this as she placed a finger on her lips, whilst Lumine was very glad that her shop wasn’t in a busy street, or she’d be stared to death by the people passing by. It took a moment, but the girl finally nodded at last, reaching out so she could clasp her small hand with Lumine’s bigger one.
“Okay. Do you have milk?”
“I do, actually!”
“Okay, Qiqi goes with you.”
―
With the girl seated at the counter in one of the chairs, Lumine washed a glass and opened the mini fridge, taking out the milk she kept inside for her brother whenever he came around. For some reason, even as an adult, he still liked to drink it, so she bought it often so he could have it when he came by. Pouring it into the glass, she put everything back into place before she placed the glass in front of Qiqi.
“Here you go,” she told the little girl, watching with a smile as she held the cup carefully with both hands and took a long sip. “So uh, do you want to tell me why you were standing outside for so long? Where are your daddy and mommy?”
“Qiqi… was looking at flowers.” The girl stated simply, taking another long sip as she pondered the other question she had been asked. “Daddy is at home. Mommy… Qiqi has no mommy.”
Oh. Lumine felt her heart sink at the girl’s words. She knew what it was like without parents, because she had lost hers at a young age as well. All she ever had for years was Aether.
“I see…” She hadn’t meant to sound so sad, and was startled when Qiqi reached out a hand to pat hers.
“Don’t worry, Qiqi has big brother Xiao. Big brother is nice to Qiqi.”
“Oh, so you came here with your big brother then?” Lumine asked, taking the glass from Qiqi when it tilted dangerously to the side and setting it down in front of the girl again. “Why were you alone?”
“No, Qiqi came from kind-er-gart-en.” The girl looked down at her lap before she looked up at Lumine again, tilting her head to the side as she focused on stringing together the long word she had recently learned. “Qiqi saw flowers outside. Same flowers daddy gives to mommy.”
So she was lost.
“Qiqi also wants to give flowers to mommy.”
Her heart squeezed as she watched Qiqi look down at the table, glancing outside the window towards the flowers the girl had been staring at since earlier. They were glaze lilies, very pretty flowers that were believed to bloom when there was beautiful music. Of course, because of their beauty and how very little of them existed, their price was… perhaps a little too over a small child’s budget.
“Miss Lumine, can Qiqi buy those flowers for mommy?”
The girl’s question makes the blonde refocus on her again, and a warm smile immediately blooms on her lips.
“Of course you can, Qiqi. Wait here while I pack them prettily for your mommy, okay?”
Once Qiqi nodded in agreement, Lumine left her seat to get a few of the lilies, bringing them back in and bundling them together into a small bouquet while Qiqi watched in interest. She then took out the selection of ribbons she had, placing them on the table.
“You can choose a colour to tie the flowers with,” she explained, remembering she had wanted to ask her brother if anyone he knew lost a child. Whilst the girl was focused on the ribbons, she snapped a quick picture, sending it to her brother quickly with the intended question.
“This one, Miss Lumine, this one!” Qiqi declared in the most excited voice the blonde had heard from the small girl so far, picking up a deep brown ribbon that seemed too sophisticated for the child. Smiling, Lumine doesn’t question it, taking the ribbon and cutting an appropriate length to tie the bouquet with.
“There we go, here’s your flowers!” She chirped as she finished tying the ribbon and holding it out to Qiqi, whose eyes sparkled with joy as she took the bouquet carefully with both hands and admired it.
“Thank you, Miss Lumine,” she whispered, unable to take her eyes off how the deep brown of the ribbon and the light blue of the flowers complemented each other. “I think mommy will like it.”
“I think your mommy will like it too.”
―
His phone rang as he ran through the street, apologising to each person he bumped before he stumbled into an empty space and whipped out the device, holding it to his ear. Breathing was hard, considering he had been running around for close to twenty minutes now, and still not a glimpse of his sister in sight.
“Hello?” He harshly huffed into the call, hearing two voices as he tried to catch his breath, leaning against the wall behind him. “Albedo?”
“Xiao,” Albedo’s smooth voice greeted him, seemingly a little out of breath as well. Another voice spoke behind him, excitement obvious in its tone. “Xiao, Aether just received a message from his sister.”
What did Aether’s sister have to do with finding Qiqi? Xiao was about to snap at the two males over the phone when Albedo continued, as if sensing how impatient he was right now.
“Apparently, Qiqi wandered over to her shop, and she’s there right now. I’ll send you the address. We’re heading over ourselves, but if you’re in the shopping district you should be closer.”
Relief didn’t cut it — it felt like he could finally breathe again; like he had been swimming for hours and finally got to an island, and before he knew it, tears had clouded his vision. His sister was safe. Xiao inhaled harshly, pulling himself together as he nodded before he quickly realised he was on the phone, not talking to the other in person.
“Thank you.” He choked out, wiping the tears forming away with the sleeve of his hoodie and swallowing. Qiqi was safe.
“I sent you the address.” Albedo told him, and Xiao was honestly thankful that he knew how to read the room. “You probably want to head over right away, so I’ll inform your father.”
“Got it. Thanks.” He heard a soft ‘you’re welcome’ before the dial tone met his ears, and he closed the phone app to get to the message that he had just been sent. The shop was nearby, just a little ways out of the shopping district, and he would make it in five minutes if he ran. Whoever Aether’s sister was, he was thankful.
―
Lumine reread the message she got from her brother again, confirming that someone had indeed lost their child, and Qiqi’s brother was on the way to get her. Qiqi had finished her milk, the bouquet on her lap as she blinked sluggishly, almost as if she wanted to sleep.
“Qiqi, your brother’s coming to get you soon.” She told the child in an attempt to keep her awake, but it didn’t seem to work as Qiqi’s head seemed to magically grow heavier by the second, nodding so far she almost knocked her forehead against the counter.
The blonde quickly reached for the child before she got injured, taking the bouquet and placing it somewhere safe before setting her down to lay across two chairs to rest comfortably. While Qiqi started to nod off, Lumine began to close the shop as she should have a while ago, counting the money she had made today swiftly — she still had to move the plants in, but the shop wasn’t that big and Qiqi’s brother still had to pick her up. Moving the plants in would make it more difficult to move around.
Just as she finished tallying up everything and sorting everything into place, Qiqi stirred, whining a little. Immediately, she shut the register and headed over to the child, feeling apologetic that she didn’t have anything to feed Qiqi other than the cookies she had offered earlier.
“What’s wrong, Qiqi?” She asked, patting the girl’s head lightly. Surprise surged through her when the girl reached up both arms, asking to be carried. She was the younger twin, and her only experience carrying a child had been when Klee suddenly jumped into her arms — however Qiqi didn’t seem to care as she continuously kept her arms in the air, wanting to be carried.
“Qiqi… hug.” The child murmured, and Lumine reached down to hoist the child up into her arms, thanking god that she could at least lift up a six year old. With ease, Qiqi maneuvered herself until she was in a comfortable position, looking much like a koala clinging to a tree as she rested her head against Lumine’s shoulder. “Qiqi nap now.”
Lumine couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped as Qiqi dozed off on her shoulder, wondering when her brother would be coming. Just as she had that thought, she heard loud footsteps coming towards the shop, glancing up towards the door as it burst open, the bell tinkling lightly.
The person she’s greeted by is perspiring a lot, as if he had been running around wildly for an hour looking for his little sister, who had, by now, dozed off without a care in the world.
“Um, hi.” She greeted awkwardly as she moved towards the other with a smile. “You must be Qiqi’s brother, right?”
“That’s me.” His voice was raspy, a little baritone, and honestly, he was pretty handsome, in her opinion. He had black hair, a few viridescent highlights in his hair, and his eyes… they were golden, like the sun, and so deep she almost forgot to breathe. “Thank you for taking care of her.”
“Oh, it’s no trouble,” she assured him as he walked towards her, noting how he was only just a little taller than her. “She had some milk and cookies earlier, I’m sorry if that spoils her dinner.”
“Ah, it’s fine, she eats a small amount anyway. She’s probably too tired to eat anything now.” He reached for his little sister, and Lumine cooperated, sliding the now-sleeping child into his arms (that she noticed were lean and muscular up close). Once he had Qiqi safely in his embrace, she turned around and retrieved the bouquet of glaze lilies, offering it to the male.
“Here, she wanted to get these for her mother.” She explained when the male quirked a brow in question. Immediately, he sighed, looking down at the small girl in his arms. Unlike him, she never had the chance to know their mother, but he and their father had always made sure to tell her stories about her.
Xiao adjusted his sister until he could securely hold her with one arm, taking the bouquet with the other. “Thank you. How much is it? I’ll pay.”
“No, it’s okay. Just getting to know Qiqi today was enough for me.” Lumine’s eyes widened, her hands coming up to refuse taking any payment. “Please take it. She chose the ribbon herself too.”
“That’s…” He started, but looking into the girl’s golden eyes, he knew he had lost from the determination that shone in them. “Okay. Thank you so much.”
“It’s no problem.” Lumine smiled as she opened the door for him to pass through, which he did gratefully. In the distance, she saw two figures running towards them, one of which was her own brother. “I guess I’ll see you both around.”
He nodded wordlessly, silence elapsing between them for a moment before Aether and his boyfriend reached the shop. Albedo was relieved to see Qiqi in Xiao’s arms, exchanging nods with him.
“I’m sorry,” Albedo apologised, but Xiao shook his head. “I was negligent in my care.”
“No, Qiqi wanders off very often, it’s alright.” Xiao reassured the teacher, giving him a slight smile. They were only a year apart, having addressed each other informally all the time— if that were to change now, it would just be awkward. “She’s safe now, that’s all that matters.”
Albedo agreed, watching as Aether went to go help his sister move the flowers into the shop. “Your father’s probably waiting anxiously at home. I’ll help Lumine close shop, so you can head home first.”
Lumine. So that was her name.
Xiao nodded his thanks, starting his trek home as Albedo turned to help the twins move everything. He turned his head back, watching the female move stuff around with the new help before she spotted him, smiling and giving him a small wave.
He didn’t know why, but he waved back, bouquet in hand.
― a few days later ―
“I’m home,” Xiao called out as he moved into the living room, just as a loud voice came from it.
“Qiqi hates daddy!”
With that proclamation made, the girl ran away, too emotional to even notice she had knocked her big brother’s knees as she hurried into her room. Xiao raised his eyebrows as he set his bag down on the couch, eyeing their father who seemed to have been very affected by his precious daughter’s exclamation.
“What did you do?” He asked, heading into the kitchen to place the cake he got today into the fridge.
“Qiqi wanted to go to the florist again so she could play with the lady from last time,” Zhongli explained with a sigh. “Miss Lumine, was it? Qiqi wanted to go while I was cooking dinner, so it was impossible. I told her I’d take her another time but…”
He trailed off, but Xiao pieced the puzzle together quickly, knowing that was when Qiqi declared she hated him and went into her room. For reasons unknown, his sister had taken a very big liking to Lumine, though Xiao supposed he understood it. Somewhat.
Lumine was very pretty. Qiqi liked pretty things and pretty people. She had liked Albedo, then Aether, and now Lumine. From their brief encounter, the blonde had seemed very pleasant, and when he had seen her holding Qiqi in her arms, she had looked absolutely stunning—
That was beside the point. Qiqi wanted to visit Lumine, but it wasn’t good for her to go by herself. Of course, Xiao was sure his sister understood that, given she had been scolded fiercely the day after her little escape. The flowers Qiqi had gotten were placed in a small vase on their mother’s altar, though, and he was sure she learned her lesson.
This time was just a tantrum because she didn’t get what she wanted.
“I have a day off tomorrow, I can take her there if Lumine doesn’t mind. I’ll ask.” Xiao offered, and Zhongli heaved a sigh.
“I wish your mother was still around, she’d have cheered Qiqi up so quickly. Meanwhile, I…”
“You’re already doing a great job, dad.” He smiled reassuringly. “She’s just throwing a tantrum. I’ll talk to her.”
“Thank you, I’m glad you’re around to help.”
“No problem, we’re family after all.”
―
“Hurry up, big brother!” Qiqi called, a few feet away from him as he trudged towards her. “You’re so slow!”
He had kept his promise, texting Albedo and getting Aether’s contact, then receiving Lumine’s contact from Aether (paired with a message that because he was a decent guy, he was getting her number, but if he did anything to hurt his sister, he would die a painful death) and then he had texted Lumine asking if it was alright for them to drop by and play tomorrow.
To be honest, he had been expecting Lumine to refuse simply because she would be working and they would only get in the way, but she had agreed quickly.
So here they were, heading out towards the shop after he had picked her up early from kindergarten. Qiqi had drawn Lumine during arts and craft, and was very excited to show it off to the blonde.
“Slow down or you’ll fall,” Xiao called out, half out of habit and half out of worry. Qiqi huffed indignantly, waving her rolled-up drawing in the air.
“Qiqi won’t fall! Hurry up!” She stomped her feet (very adorably, if he could add) and scurried ahead. The shop was in sight, just farther down along after the park close to the kindergarten. He could see how Qiqi had wandered off to the shop the other day and how Albedo and Aether hadn’t thought she’d gone so far.
In the distance, he could make out a slim figure in an apron, watering the flowers outside, and of course, Qiqi spotted her as well.
“Miss Lumine!” She exclaimed excitedly, attempting to run faster than she already was to capture her target.
Of course, in her excitement, her left foot got caught on her right, and Qiqi fell with a magnificently loud smack onto the ground.
“Qiqi!” Lumine and Xiao rushed forward at the same time, their hands meeting as they helped the little girl up. She was uninjured for the most part, except for a scrape where her chin had hit the ground.
Tears started to well up in Qiqi’s eyes as she slowly registered both the pain and the shock from her sudden fall, lips trembling as Lumine took her hand, crouching down in front of her.
“Don’t cry, Qiqi,” her voice soft, she patted the girl’s cheek lightly in an attempt to comfort her. “Let’s go into the shop, I’ll give you some milk and we’ll fix up that scratch. Okay?”
Xiao took a hold of her other hand, squeezing it lightly as Qiqi nodded, attempting to blink away her tears.
―
“Sorry about that,” he apologised once they were inside of the shop with Qiqi situated on one of the chairs. He had picked up the watering can Lumine had dropped in order to get to Qiqi quickly, placing it on the counter as he watched her fuss over his little sister, who was basking contentedly in the attention.
“It’s alright, the road’s a little rocky outside.” Lumine chortled, informing Qiqi that the wound would sting a little as she cleaned it up. “Aether used to get injured a lot when we were kids too, fixing up his scratches is practically second nature now.”
Xiao bit his lip as he wondered if she would also tend this affectionately to his injuries if he sustained any; ultimately shaking his head to dispel all thoughts. He placed a hand on Qiqi’s head, ruffling her hair and earning an indignant squawk in protest.
“I told you not to run.” He said at last, crossing his arms as he levelled his sister with a stare that screamed I told you so. A pout crossed her lips immediately, but she didn't reply him because she knew he was right. She huffed wordlessly instead, taking a long sip out of the glass. “What do you say to Miss Lumine?”
“Thank you…” Qiqi trailed off quietly, a pout still present on her lips. Why did her brother have to nag her in front of Miss Lumine? It was embarrassing. However, he didn’t seem to care, quirking a brow as she stared into her glass for a long moment. “... I’m sorry.”
Lumine’s laugh filled the air like a thousand tinkling bells (Xiao suddenly didn’t know how to breathe), and she pats Qiqi’s hair lightly.
“It’s okay, I’m just glad you’re safe.” She chuckled again, picking out the box of band-aids that she had. “What colour do you want?”
“Qiqi wants pink.”
The blonde dug into the box, fishing out a pink one as she peeled it open and stuck it onto the now-treated wound, smiling as she discarded the trash into a small bin under the counter.
“There, all done! What do you want to do now, Qiqi?” She glanced up towards Xiao, who had been standing there with his arms crossed while he watched the both of them.
“Qiqi wants to help Miss Lumine water the flowers!”
“Alright, let me fill up the watering can and you can help me water the flowers, okay?”
“Yes!”
Xiao watched their exchange with a fond smile. Unlike him, Qiqi was pretty social if she wanted to be, and the gentle way Lumine treated his sister was… pleasing to watch. His head was filled with useless thoughts, and he continued to conjure up more in an attempt to block out how soft Lumine’s hand had been when they had helped Qiqi up together.
“Big brother, come and help!” Qiqi insisted, and Xiao unfolded his arms with a sigh.
“Okay, okay.”
―
Perhaps it was time to teach Qiqi about courtesy, he mused as he watched his little sister doze off in front of the counter again. She had been coming over close to every single day (with their father’s permission, of course), and obviously she didn’t think about how their presence might obstruct Lumine’s business. Said blonde doesn’t seem to mind, though, always giving Qiqi milk and cookies and even going so far as to get a colouring book for the little girl so she wouldn’t feel bored while she was working.
Xiao would come to the shop to pick Qiqi up every day close to dinner time (sometimes earlier because he wanted to see her but there was no way he would admit that), bringing along some snacks at his father’s behest for troubling Lumine with having Qiqi over all the time. At the start of this exchange, Lumine had tried to refuse, but Xiao had remained stubborn, and in the end, she had accepted. It was somewhat strange that this routine now felt so familiar, despite them only having settled into it a few weeks prior.
“I’m sorry she insists on coming over so much,” he spoke as Lumine tended to the plants around the shop, something she took the opportunity of once Qiqi started to doze off.
“It’s fine!” She insisted with a soft laugh, finishing her work as she turned back to him, a large smile on her face. “Qiqi’s a good girl, I like her company.”
What about mine?
He brushed away the thought as quickly as it came, sighing heavily as his eyes flitted over to where his sister had her head rested on the counter, breathing soft. It was unbelievable how she could sleep without a care in the world. He felt Lumine’s presence coming closer, lifting his gaze to the blonde questioningly. She’s closer than he had assumed, his shoulders jerking in shock from her close proximity.
“I like your company too, Xiao.” She admitted, and he had the fleeting thought she could read minds. Their eyes met for a prolonged moment, Xiao being the first to break it as he looked away with a cough.
“Yours isn’t all that bad either.” He muttered, avoiding her gaze as she smiled widely at his admission. He hated how he couldn’t speak the truth like she did, because he enjoyed her company as well. The many days that they had spent talking to each other once Qiqi had fallen asleep were nice; Lumine was quite the conversation partner.
“So you do like having me around.” Lumine grinned when he made a disgruntled noise in protest. He couldn’t refute her words since they were the truth, so he doesn’t say a word in reply, hoping she wouldn’t hound him about it.
But this is Lumine, and ever since they had gotten to know each other, she had begun to tease him. A lot. It was something he liked, yet when she rendered him speechless like that… He didn’t want to finish that thought. Xiao had wondered if she talked to other boys like that as well, but she had been surprisingly quick to shut that idea down.
“Do you think Aether would even let boys near me?” She had chuckled.
What was he, then? Sure, he wasn’t the type to try anything, if only because he was socially inept, and she was like the stars — dazzling, shining, and out of his reach. Immersed in his thoughts, he didn’t hear Lumine calling his name until she’s just a few milimeters away from his face.
“What.” He froze quickly once he realised she was right in front of him, but some weird sense of pride stopped him from moving back or looking away.
“I was calling your name for so long.” She told him, a smile on her lips as she didn’t make any attempt to move away now that she had his attention. He gave her a wordless grunt in return, trying not to focus on how sweet she smelled, or how her lips were so full and inviting— “I said, I wish Aether would just let me have a boyfriend already. I’m twenty-one, for crying out loud, not a baby.”
Another wordless grunt escapes him, because she’s too close and he suddenly can’t think.
“Are you listening to me?” If possible, she came even closer, and he stilled, body tense.
“I am.” He managed to spit out somehow, and she smiled at him again. God. If she would take a step away, he would be able to carry conversing like a normal person. She was so close he could count the number of lashes she had if she gave him a few minutes. Lumine spoke again, but he didn’t hear her, blinking as she stared at him expectantly.
“Sorry, what?” Xiao stuttered, resisting the urge to just reach out and grab her and kiss her senseless—
She rolled her eyes impatiently, half-amused because she had an inkling why Xiao was so out of it, but honestly, it was irritating he hadn’t heard her the first time. This kind of thing was embarrassing to repeat, after all. Wordlessly, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his in a chaste kiss, pulling back just in time to witness shock slowly register on his features.
Xiao flushed, attempting to stutter out some words along the lines of what was that, but he barely managed to get a ‘w’ out when Lumine stole another kiss. He stared at her in shock as she grinned contentedly, her slender fingers coming to rest on his shoulders.
“I said, be my boyfriend.” Her tone was a little annoyed, but he could make out the amusement in it as well. However, his mind had gone off into space since the first kiss, and he could only stare at her owlishly. She rolled her eyes again. “I like you, Xiao.”
He paused. Then, he wordlessly pulled her into another kiss, inciting a surprised squeak from her. Their golden eyes met as they separated, and he cupped her face, leaning up to press his lips against her nose.
“It would be my pleasure,” he replied at last, watching as her skin flushed pink. “I like you too.”
Lumine leaned in again, their lips barely inches away from each other’s—
“Big brother?”
Immediately, Lumine flung herself as far away as she could from Xiao just as Qiqi rose up from where she had been sleeping, rubbing her eyes. He cleared his throat, glancing at Lumine in worry where she had thrown herself onto the ground with a hand on her chest from shock.
“Qiqi’s hungry.”
Of course. He sighed, standing up and offering Lumine a hand.
“Mm, it’s about time for dinner. Let’s go home.” He told his sister, helping his girlfriend stand up and then holding her hand. “Lumine can come over for dinner too.”
She levelled him with a wide-eyed stare, and he just grinned at her. Qiqi was very excited about this sudden proposition, and she leapt off her chair, running over to the door with a cheery let’s go!
“I don’t think your father made dinner for four people, Xiao.” She said at last, but he just waved it off.
“Qiqi doesn’t eat that much, it’ll be enough. Besides,” he leaned in close enough to whisper in her ear. “I have to introduce my girlfriend to my family, right?”
Lumine is left cupping her ear, face flushing and mouth agape as he shuffled outside to start moving the plants in for her.
“You… you!” She stammered out, unable to continue.
His laughter filled the air as she stewed in embarrassment for another few minutes before joining them in helping to close the shop.
―
Of course, Zhongli had nagged at him for suddenly bringing over a guest for dinner, but upon learning about their new relationship, was quick to congratulate the couple. And of course, when Albedo and Aether had learned of it as well, the latter had thrown a book at Xiao's head when he saw him again. Thankfully, he didn't attempt any other bodily harm because of his boyfriend's dissuasion, but in the end, Xiao saw it as his victory simply because Lumine spent the next half an hour fussing over the bruise on his forehead. Well, all's well that ends well.